Exodus 32:5

32:5 When ¹  Aaron saw this, ²  he built an altar before it, ³  and Aaron made a proclamation ⁴  and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast ⁵  to the Lord.”

Exodus 10:14

10:14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the territory ⁶  of Egypt. It was very severe; ⁷  there had been no locusts like them before, nor will there be such ever again. ⁸ 

[32:5]  ¹ tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive is subordinated as a temporal clause to the next preterite.

[32:5]  ² tn The word “this” has been supplied.

[32:5]  ³ tn “Before it” means before the deity in the form of the calf. Aaron tried to redirect their worship to Yahweh, but the people had already broken down the barrier and were beyond control (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 413).

[32:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “called.”

[32:5]  ⁵ sn The word is חַג (khag), the pilgrim’s festival. This was the word used by Moses for their pilgrimage into the wilderness. Aaron seems here to be trying to do what Moses had intended they do, make a feast to Yahweh at Sinai, but his efforts will not compete with the idol. As B. Jacob says, Aaron saw all this happening and tried to rescue the true belief (Exodus, 941).

[10:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “border.”

[10:14]  ⁷ tn This is an interpretive translation. The clause simply has כָּבֵד מְאֹד (kaved mÿ’od), the stative verb with the adverb – “it was very heavy.” The description prepares for the following statement about the uniqueness of this locust infestation.

[10:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “after them.”